Ministry of Health announces death of conjoined Palestinian twins

April 10, 2010

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Minister of Health and head of medical and surgical team conducting conjoined twins separation, announced today the death of conjoined Palestinian twin girls Rittal and Retag bint Yasser Abu Assi at 4:00 p.m. (local time) at the King Abdulaziz National Guard Medical City in Riyadh.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency announcing their deaths, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said their situation worsened as the medical team had expected.” He said the two girls could not be separated surgically because they had a bacterial infection in their chests and because their hearts, livers and digestive systems were intertwined.

Dr. Al-Rabeeah expressed his deepest condolences to the parents of Rittal and Retag and the Palestinian people, and thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for directing their transfer from the Gaza Strip to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment.

Rittal and Retag arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday aboard a special Saudi Arabian medical evacuation plane from Egypt upon directives of King Abdullah for preliminary medical examinations at King Abdulaziz National Guard Medical City.